Tag Archives: Washington State Legislature

In competing press releases sent out on Tuesday Tim Sheldon
takes teachers to task for missing work for a strike and for not
using a strike day to come to Olympia. Washington State
Democrats say that’s Sheldon operating under a “Do as I say, not as
I do,” program, citing his absences from county meetings.

Senate Republicans offer a tuition cut and reject a collective
bargaining agreement the governor’s office reached with state
employees. The party then offers $1,000 per year to all state
employees. A statement issued by the Washington Federation of State
Employees argues that the Legislature can reject an agreement, but
not make a new proposal.

“If contracts are rejected, the process calls for a return to
negotiations. In this instance, Senate budget writers have
by-passed our rights by instead authorizing flat raises of $1000
per full-time employee (prorated for part-time positions) per year
of the two-year biennium. Under the collective bargaining statute,
they cannot offer alternatives. In this case, the Senate has
offered an alternative that is illegal under the law.”

State Sen. Jan Angel, R-Port Orchard, highlights the “no new
taxes” feature of the Republican budget, making no mention of the
state employee clause. State Sen. Tim Sheldon, the Potlatch
Democrat who caucuses with the Republicans, also highlighted the
“no new taxes” feature of the Senate budget, but also addressed the
collective bargaining rejection. He said the budget, “Provides a
flat $2,000 annual cost-of-living increase for state employees –
meaning 25,000 state workers will see a larger increase than under
agreements bargained between the governor’s office and public
employee unions.”

Standing at the rostrum
Washington state Senator and soon-to-be-defeated in his bid to
repeat as Senate President Pro Tem Tim Sheldon gets a photo taken
by staff photographer Aaron Barna holding his new grand-daughter
Scarlett born on Dec.13. 2014, while joined by his wife Linda and
daughter Alex on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, during the opening day for
the 2015 legislative session in Olympia. (AP Photo/The Olympian,
Steve Bloom)
Call it symbolic revenge for a real defection. One party
pulled two of the opposite party over to form a coalition. That was
true two years ago when Republicans lured Potlatch Democratic state
Sen. Tim Sheldon, along with Rodney Tom, to form a de fact majority
in the chamber, a majority that was boosted by the election of real
Republican Jan Angel.

Even after the Republican Party announced in early December
Sheldon’s return to the role, which would have put him in charge of
the chamber in the case of Lt. Gov. Brad Owen’s absence, Democrats
helped maneuver to get Sheldon out of the seat. They nominated
Republican Pam Roach. Republicans tried to counter by nominating
Democrat Karen Fraser. But Democrats, Fraser included, voted as a
bloc and along with Vancouver Republican state Sen. Don
Benton, elected Roach to the position.

The Northwest Progressive Institute Advocate described it
as Democrats settling a score with Sheldon, making “the most of an
opportunity to hold Tim Sheldon accountable for his treachery.”

Sheldon told Schrader he thought Democrats were retaliating and
that they will want something in return. Roach said they did not
ask for anything.

It’s a mostly symbolic victory and will do little to change the
agenda in the chamber. The first evidence of that was the Senate’s
vote to require a two-thirds vote to approve any tax increases, a
rules change in the chamber that passed with a 26-23 vote, exactly
the number of the Republican+1 majority.

The Sheldon upset went down officially within 12 minutes, which
is on the video that follows. Of course, it really took flight in
conversations for which there is no video, so this will have to
do.

All three of the Kitsap Caucus’ state senators will have
leadership roles in the 2015 Legislature. Two of them are repeats,
while Jan Angel takes on a new responsibility.

Jan Angel
State Sen. Jan Angel, R-Port Orchard, was elected Senate Majority
Coalition Caucus vice chairwoman and named to the panel that
selects committee leaders.
Angel, first elected to the Senate in 2013, was re-elected in
November and will begin a four-term in January.
The caucus position puts Angel in place to be a liaison between
coalition leadership and committee chairs and to lead caucus
deliberations when the chairwoman, Sen. Linda Evans Parlette,
R-Wenatchee, is not available. Angel also will be part of the
effort to hire and fire coalition staff.
“I’m excited to get to work building on the bipartisan success we
achieved as a caucus last year,” Angel said in a written statement
issued by the coalition. “I have all the right tools to be a leader
in this role with my previous experience leading committees and
developing employees as a small-business owner and I am very
grateful for the confidence of my Senate colleagues.”
The senator was also appointed to the Committee on Committees,
which helps select which coalition senator goes on which
committees.

Tim Sheldon
State Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, retains his role as Senate
president pro tem, even though Republicans have and outright
majority now.
Sheldon, along with former state Sen. Rodney Tom, D-Medina, began
caucusing with the 23 Republicans in 2013, giving the GOP a de
facto 25-24 majority known as the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus.
With the election of Angel later that year the coalition’s majority
rose to 26-23.
Tom retired from the Senate, but Republicans won the major
contested races and took actual control of the Senate 25-24.
Sheldon said all along he would continue to caucus with
Republicans, so the coalition remains intact. His reward is keeping
the leadership position.
“This recognition I have received from my colleagues is a
demonstration of the bipartisan ideals that have governed our
coalition since Day One,” Sheldon said in a statement. “We always
said our chief concerns were jobs, education and the budget, and
not partisan politics.”

Christine Rolfes
State Sen. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, resumes her role
as floor leader for the Washington State Senate Democratic Caucus.
This is her second year in that job.
The floor leader is the party’s point person on parliamentary
procedure and in facilitating floor debate on the Senate floor.
“I am honored to have been selected again by my colleagues to serve
as their floor leader,” Rolfes said. “We are facing some
significant challenges in 2015, but I look forward to working
across the aisle to ensure things run smoothly.”

Washington State House Republicans will hold a Twitter town hall
forum from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Monday. State Rep. Dan
Kristiansen and J.T. Wilcox will answer Tweeted questions.

Use the hashtag #solutionsWA.

The party’s press release is below.

No word on when the counties will meet to replace Jan Angel in
the House. Josh Brown’s replacement on the commission might happen
Monday afternoon.

Washington House Republicans to host Twitter town hall
January 9

Washington House Republicans will host the Legislature’s
first-ever Twitter town hall, January 9, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:15
p.m. Participants can ask House Republican leadership members Rep.
Dan Kristiansen and Rep. J.T. Wilcox a 140-character question using
the hashtag #solutionsWA.

House Republicans are not the only government entity to make use
of this communications trend nationwide. President Obama held a
Twitter town hall last July.

“This event will enable people to ask questions and provide
their ideas in the days leading up to the 2014 legislative
session,” said House Republican Leader Dan Kristiansen,
R-Snohomish. “This is a new platform for us. We look forward to
hearing from Washingtonians on the issues that are important to
them.”

According to Pew Research, nearly one in 10 U.S. adults uses
Twitter to share information. And, more than 50 million people in
the U.S. use Twitter to get news. However, just like all social
media, Twitter has its limitations. Participants and the responding
representatives will only have 140 characters to relay their
questions, answers and ideas.

“It’s our job as elected officials to involve the public at
every opportunity. This is why we use a variety of forums like
Twitter, which has a lot of active followers that we may not
otherwise hear from on statewide legislative issues,” said House
Republican Floor Leader J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm.

The public is encouraged to participate in the January 9 Twitter
town hall using #solutionsWA. Those unable to participate or have
trouble with #solutionsWA can visit the House Republicans’ Twitter
page @WaHouseGOP.

Visit www.houserepublicans.wa.gov for more information about
House Republican members, solutions and results.

When I covered the city of Bremerton and watched the council ask
for public comment before consent agenda items, I thought it was a
good-will gesture. Turns out I was wrong, not that it wasn’t
something councils did not have to do, but in thinking councils had
to do that any time. They don’t. They can make whatever decision
they want and don’t have to bother with the two or three minutes
time they give you to testify.

The only exceptions are items dubbed “public hearings,” which
happen mostly for land use issues, according to Roger Lubovich,
Bremerton city attorney.

Before taking final action on any ordinance, resolution,
rule, regulation, order, or directive, a governing body of a public
agency must allow for public comment regarding that ordinance,
resolution, rule, regulation, order, or directive. The public
comment may be taken at the beginning of a meeting at which final
action is scheduled, or at a prior meeting for which notice of the
comment period on proposed action has been provided.

The bill in the Washington State Legislature, sponsored by state
Rep. Gerry Pollet, D-Seattle, would require local governments to
allow for public comment before making any decision.

The legislation would also require that documents related to the
agenda item be made available at least by the time the meeting
begins. It was sent to the Government Operations & Elections
Committee. No one from the Kitsap Caucus has signed on as a
co-sponsor yet.

That local governments do offer time for public comment falls
under the categories of smart political moves and good customer
service. And more than once I have seen a governing body swayed by
something said by a constituent.

UPDATE: I had placed a call to Tim Ford,
the state’s Open Government Ombudsman in the Attorney General’s
office. He told me, and provided the link to the state law, that
council-manager city governments are required to provide public
comment opportunities. No other local government is. Again, HB 1197
would change that.